BY REDFORD WILLIAMS, MD AND VIRGINIA WILLIAMS, PhD
(Holtzbrinck Publishers, ISBN 13–978–1–59486–256–4, $24.95)
Sulking at work? Seething in meetings?
Answering "yes" may indicate lack of control. With exhaustive research, two internationally recognized experts in behavioral medicine seek to aid those needing more control over life's challenges, many of them in the workplace.
The book engages readers with its centerpiece, an 8–week awareness exercise designed to master coping skills. The book's foundation revolves around a detailed self–assessment quiz that dissects test–takers' personalities, a subsequent score determining specific areas needing work. Along the way, use of a "thoughts and feelings log" is urged.
Given those methods, it'd be easy to dismiss this as just another self–help book. But the book is buttressed with generous portions of clinical research. Much of the research comes from other experts, complementing the authors' own work. Of particular value is the "five–to–one" ratio – juxtaposing incidences of pleasant to unpleasant reactions – which can be applied at work.
Added currency is gained through the authors' candid inclusion of personal frailties in describing past shortcomings. He points to temper – deep–rooted in a less–than–idyllic childhood –– as his own "out–of–control" area, while she describes her route toward self–assurance. Their 40–year marriage powerfully bespeaks of their method's effectiveness.
Other real–life scenarios add resonance: The cop stopping his stressful job from inhibiting health and relationships; a grandmother improving workplace interactions; the overburdened schoolteacher learning to say no; the timid civil servant achieving self–assurance. These italicized stories are set off in segments, helping to break up the text's research–heavy portions. The technique also enhances readability; building novel–like suspense as readers are led to each individual, post–assessment outcome.
"Like a pebble tossed into the water, your actions will have a ripple effect throughout your world," the authors write. "And you just may end up moving mountains."
After reading this book, you may find their siren song hard to resist.
